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Chapter 40: Companions
Several days after the ‘Open Auction’ that caused an overwhelming inflation spike.
On the night the auction proceeds—more than ten trillion yen, a sum on the scale of a national budget—were safely deposited into Antique Eye, Inc.’s main account under the privileges of the Special Class A VIP Pass…
The main floor of our underground fortress base was filled with a surprisingly lavish aroma.
“Mmm~~! So good! The fatty tuna melts in my mouth!”
At the table set up in front of the massive monitors, Seira Jinguji squirmed happily, pressing her cheeks. Spread across the table were a variety of deliveries from a top‑tier Ginza sushi restaurant, prepared with premium ingredients. There was fatty tuna, sea urchin, abalone, and even caviar sushi topped with gold leaf.
“Here, Seira‑sama, this sea urchin is also excellent! It’s the president’s treat today, so eat as much as you want!”
“Hehe, thank you, Rin‑san! Toru‑san, thank you for the meal!”
Already pleasantly tipsy with a glass of top-grade champagne in hand, Rin urged Seira to try the sea urchin gunkan. Seira, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s, chewed happily. It was an adorable, small‑animal‑like charm, quite unlike the strongest Sword Saint who could cleave a Hydra in two. She’d clearly had quite a bit of the champagne Rin had been offering, and was much more relaxed than usual.
“Yes, please, eat as much as you like. It’s a thank‑you for all your help.”
I sipped my hot tea and smiled in reply. A few days ago, my hands would have trembled before sushi costing tens of thousands of yen per piece, but now I had trillions in my account. Maybe my sense of value had gone numb, but I didn’t begrudge spending money on myself or those close to me.
But then Seira suddenly put down her chopsticks and pouted slightly.
“…Hey. I’ve been thinking this for a while.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong? Too much wasabi?”
“No!”
I tilted my head, and Seira pointed sharply, her lips pursed, gesturing between me and Rin.
“I don’t like being called ‘Seira‑sama’ or ‘Seira‑san’! It makes me feel like a guest, like I’m being left out! And stop with the formal language!”
“Huh, but you’re an S‑Rank explorer…”
“Rank doesn’t matter! We’re the team that saved Tokyo together, part of ‘Antique Eye, Inc.’, right!? There’s no hierarchy!”
Seira leaned forward across the table, her clear blue eyes fixed on us. Perhaps due to the alcohol, her pale skin was flushed with a hint of pink, and her moist eyes were slightly hazy. Her expression, so different from her usual dignified demeanor—vulnerable and somehow alluring—made my heart skip a beat.
“So from now on, we’re all on a first‑name basis! Call me ‘Seira’! And I’ll call you two ‘Toru’ and ‘Rin’!”
At her words, Rin and I looked at each other. Using first names for a hero reigning at the top of Japan… if her enthusiastic followers found out, we might be killed. But her eyes held a strong will that said, “I won’t back down.”
“…All right, I get it. Seira.”
“Oh, you’re so pushy. Fine, Seira it is.”
We called her, a bit shyly.
Seira’s face lit up with a radiant, blooming smile, and she happily sidled up next to me.
“Yes! Then let’s start fresh, Toru, Rin! From now on, don’t hold back—come to me for anything. I’m your exclusive bodyguard, Toru!”
Her soft shoulder touched mine as she puffed out her chest and laughed, a faint sweet scent wafting from her.
Calling each other by name without honorifics like this didn’t feel bad. It might have been a small thing, but it felt like we had become ‘true friends,’ beyond mere business partners or transactional relationships.
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Eventually, Seira, having literally eaten her fill of the finest ingredients, murmured a happy, “I’m so full I can’t move…” and sank into the luxury sofa, soon breathing softly in sleep. She must have enjoyed the food and the company; her sleeping face was completely relaxed.
“…Phew. She’s really a force of nature, isn’t she?”
Rin put down her champagne glass and gently draped a blanket over the sleeping Seira. A pleasant silence returned to the underground fortress.
“You’ve worked hard too. You’ve been glued to the computer all day handling shipments to overseas clients. You haven’t slept. Take a break.”
“I don’t have time to rest. There’s still so much to do after that auction. But…”
Rin returned to the table and displayed the ‘Account Balance’ screen on her tablet.
“Seeing numbers this overwhelming, the fatigue just disappears.”
She suddenly dropped her usual confident smile and stared into the bottom of her glass, murmuring quietly.
“Thank you, Toru‑kun. For… not casting me aside.”
It was an uncharacteristically vulnerable expression, and uncharacteristically straightforward gratitude. A bit embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head.
“Wh‑What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Nothing… I just realized I could live a normal life now, and I wanted to say thank you. So, thank you.”
Rin looked up at me with a pure, beautiful smile, as if a burden had been lifted.
“Don’t be silly. I’ve been helped by you in so many ways. I’d have stumbled and failed somewhere if I was alone. I’m the one who should be thanking you, Rin.”
“…Fufu, that’s true. I am the best in the world.”
She puffed out her chest proudly, back to her usual self, and downed the rest of her champagne in one gulp.
“Alright! Enough of the sentimental stuff! I’m going to plan asset management from tomorrow and look into that stupidly wealthy ‘mysterious overseas mega‑corporation.’ You get back to your work, President!”
With that, she headed back to her desk.
“My work, huh.”
I smiled wryly, stood up, and walked toward the ‘workbench’ set up in the corner of the floor, my personal space. Despite becoming incredibly wealthy, my core remained the same: ‘cleaning and restoring junk.’ It seemed that no matter how high my bank balance grew, that fundamental nature didn’t change.
I channeled magic power into the ‘Ring of Subspace’ on my left hand and placed the ‘reward’ I’d received from the guild’s unidentified item storage onto the workbench.
Clunk. A dull sound echoed.
It was a longsword so caked with mud and blood rust that its original form was unrecognizable, radiating an ominous aura. According to my ‘True Appraisal,’ it was a cursed magic sword with its own will, one that would drain its owner’s magic power and try to take over.
“Alright… first, I’ll carefully strip away this caked‑on sludge of resentment and rust.”
I grinned, looking at the high‑pressure washer on the workbench and the bottle of new industrial‑strength cleaner I’d bought.
The strongest Sword Saint, and the brilliant, money‑loving secretary. And a new piece of inventory, a cheeky cursed magic sword I’d be fixing starting tomorrow.
As the president of the world‑shaking mega‑corporation, ‘Antique Eye, Inc.,’ my new, bustling, yet refreshing daily life was about to begin.
—End of Part 1—
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This concludes the first part.
Reaching this milestone of 100,000 words and being able to write Toru and the others’ story this far is all thanks to all of you who have been reading and supporting me.
If you found the story interesting and are looking forward to the second part, I would be very encouraged if you could follow the work or leave a star rating by clicking the 【☆☆☆】 below!
Now, I have an announcement regarding the updates for the second part.
I have been trying to update daily as much as possible, but starting tomorrow, the update pace will slow, and updates may become irregular.
I’m truly sorry to everyone who looks forward to them every day… but recently, I received a very happy piece of news, and I’ve been busy with preparations.
I hope to be able to share some good news soon, so thank you for your understanding.